i need advice

Aug 9, 2003

i was recently a rape victim. the man who raped me was a close freind who is in the army, and so i was able to get him to take an aids test. i had the rape kit done and everything. i am a 16 year old girl and will be starting school soon. the guy who raped me took the test and it came negitive. until i could get the test as a percausion to rape they put me on epiver and retrovier. when i got the test results i quit taking the meds. but now people want me to start hiv treatment for 6 months, just incase he contacted it recently and it didnt show up in the test. so they think that there is a very small chance that within 6 months i might have still contacted it and i cant know till then. the meds made me really sick. and im not diagnost with the virus. but i dont know if i should start treatment like the doctors suggest. there is such a small chance that i have it. and i cant function on that medicatio yet i dont want to be sorry in 6 months. what do u suggest. should i start hiv treatment or do u think that it is even more unessiary pain? i am also worried about the long term affects meds can have. 6 months of treatment is gonna be hard. please help me i dont know what to do or who to talk with.

Response from Dr. Aberg

There is limited data on post sexual exposure prophylaxis but the recommendation for occupational exposure with known HIV positive contact is a 28 day course of antiretroviral therapy. There is no data on a 6 month course and I would not recommend this. As you note, there are side effects associated with this medication.

I don't know what the liklihood of your attacker being in the "window period" where he would be seroconverting(HIV test would be negative but have virus). I would recommend that you have a follow up HIV test in 3 months to alleviate your fears.

I wish you well. It is difficult to get through the trauma of rape. I hope you are seeing a counselor. Try not to focus on the HIV aspect.

This forum is designed for educational purposes only, and experts are not rendering medical, mental health, legal or other professional advice or services. If you have or suspect you may have a medical, mental health, legal or other problem that requires advice, consult your own caregiver, attorney or other qualified professional.

Experts appearing on this page are independent and are solely responsible for editing and fact-checking their material. Neither TheBody.com nor any advertiser is the publisher or speaker of posted visitors' questions or the experts' material.

The Body is a service of Remedy Health Media, LLC, 750 3rd Avenue, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10017. The Body and its logos are trademarks of Remedy Health Media, LLC, and its subsidiaries, which owns the copyright of The Body's homepage, topic pages, page designs and HTML code. General Disclaimer: The Body is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. The information provided through The Body should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease. It is not a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, consult your health care provider.